§ Mr. David Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sorts of businesses for which his Department is responsible are required to have a licence or registration with his Department; and if he has any plans to extend this requirement.
§ Mr. ShoreMy Department's sponsorship of the construction industry does not entail any requirement on members of the industry to have a licence or registration with the Department. Powers under the Statistics of Trade Act 1947 are, however, used to obtain relevant information from firms in the construction field, and the Department maintains a non-statutory register on which the information is recorded. In addition, all businesses are subject to such general law as may require permission, licensing or registration for specific purposes.